Deborah Conway

As part of our commitment to capturing and sharing great Australian music stories, the Australian Music Vault asked some of the country’s most influential trailblazers and unsung heroes to open up about their lives in music.

Singer-songwriter Deborah Conway began her musical journey in the 1980s as the co-founder and lead singer of Do-Re-Mi. The band achieved critical acclaim and chart success with hits ‘Man Overboard’ and ‘Adultery’ and released two studio albums including their Top 10, Domestic Harmony (1985) before disbanding in 1989.

In 1991, Conway embarked on a solo career with the release of hit single, ‘It’s Only The Beginning’ from her debut album, String of Pearls. She was awarded Best Female Artist at the 1992 ARIA Awards and her solo career continued to build with the release of her highest-charting album Bitch Epic (1993), the first of numerous studio albums to be co-written with partner and musical collaborator, Willy Zygier.

Over the years, Conway has experimented with different musical traditions including acoustic and folk, and has explored her Jewish heritage through song and storytelling. With an enduring passion for her craft and deep connection to audience, Deborah Conway remains an influential figure in Australian cultural life contributing to the broader arts scene as a festival director, mentor and advocate for emerging artists.

In 2020, Deborah Conway was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and recognized with the Don Banks Award for outstanding and sustained contribution to music in Australia. She was inducted into the National Live Music

Awards Hall of Fame in 2019 and into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2022.

In this interview with Jane Gazzo, Conway reminisces on forming Do-Re-Mi in the 1980s, being an opinionated woman in the music industry, and meeting her musical and life partner of 32 years, Willy Zygier.

Interviewer: Jane Gazzo

Location: Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, 2023